It is our honor to invite you to support a new legacy initiative, in memory of Dr. Ifeanyi Onyeji (VP&S 2017), a valued member of the Columbia University medical community who exemplified excellence in every aspect of his life. Tragically, Dr. Onyeji passed away unexpectedly from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at the age of 31 on May 8, 2022 while serving as Urology chief resident at UC Davis Medical Center.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria he immigrated to the US at the age of 11. Dr. Onyeji attended Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S), where he developed a special interest in Urology. While in medical school, he dedicated an additional year of training to clinical outcomes research as a Doris Duke Scholar and his work focused on the field of andrology. Dr. Onyeji’s academic achievements were matched by his commitment to service. He also co-directed the Young Doctor’s Initiative, a program that taught science classes to under-resourced children in New York City. For this incredible work, Dr. Onyeji was awarded a Student National Medical Association (SNMA) Pipeline Mentoring Institute Grant. His fluency in Spanish enhanced his ability to serve the community and to provide superior patient care. He graduated from VP&S in 2017 and received the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to the College of Physicians & Surgeons.
Dr. Onyeji’s mother recently told us, “It’s not how long you live, it’s how well you live that matters.” In that spirit, the Columbia University Department of Urology is establishing the Dr. Ifeanyi Onyeji Medical Education Memorial Fund in his honor, with the goal of supporting medical students and residents pursuing a career in urology.
One component of this program will focus on recruiting, mentoring, and supporting a wide range of students into our specialty. Building on the success of a pilot program in the summer of 2022, Columbia’s Department of Urology will establish the Dr. Ifeanyi Onyeji Summer Medical Student Internship as a permanent research scholarship. This opportunity will support two students from the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Medicine. The goal of this program is to expose students to the field of urology who may not have this opportunity at their home institution. This internship will allow students a unique opportunity to learn about the field in the context of a paid internship and build mentoring connections that will provide professional networks for their entire careers. We hope that these students will pursue a career in urology and join the efforts underway to diversify the specialty. Each student will receive a $2,000 stipend for their work. To create this new program, we will establish an endowment of $50,000 or more to ensure this effort continues into the future.
Funds beyond this goal will provide additional medical education resources for students and residents. These initiatives could include providing travel stipends to attend and present at academic conferences, sponsoring invited guest lecturers, and hosting events to support community-building and wellness.
We are confident that this memorial fund in Dr. Onyeji’s name will support his legacy and create unique educational opportunities for the next generation of physicians.
Thank you!
James M. McKiernan, MD, Chair of Urology, John K Lattimer Professor of Urology, VP&S Class of 1993
Gina M. Badalato, MD, Assistant Professor of Urology, Vice Chair of Education & Faculty Affairs, VP&S Class of 2007
https://joinus.cuimc.columbia.edu/participant/Ifeanyi